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Jon Vance
Dark of hair, and dark of eyes, and average of build; this man's appearance is a relatively common sight. His clothing and appearance are usually intricate and well kept, and there is often a certain glint in his eye. Biography Jon Vance, the ninth child of the Lord Robert Vance, was born mere hours after his older brother Armistead; both were the first children Robert had with the Lady Leslyn of House Wayn. The aforementioned Lady Leslyn, younger than Robert by twelve years, was not his first wife, but his second. Born in the year of 273 AA, five bastards preceded Jon, alongside three trueborn children. Though many children preceded him, many were also conceived after him, for his father’s lust knew no bound. Jon’s father, Lord Robert, was a known lecher throughout the Kingdom of the Trident, and earned no true respect from neither the nobility nor the smallfolk, for no man with honor would bed so many women - and leave just as many lonely bastards in his wake. Though the Trident was peaceful at the time, the castle of Atranta wasn’t. When Jon was only a babe at the cradle, Lord Robert’s other children were nearly adults - both base and trueborn. This situation meant that the previous grievances of Robert’s women, shared across the court, slowly infected the minds of his own children. This meant, that while there was a tense status quo for quite some years, it was slowly nearing its end - with the explosion appearing close to Lord Robert’s death. Some bouts of disease plagued Atranta, alongside quite a few unfortunate accidents, not allowing the land to prosper beyond the others, even though it was supposed to be fertile enough. The Septons deemed this place cursed by the Seven, for its Lord was a sinful man. As the third true son Lord Robert had, and considering both the state of the land and his father’s nature - not many resources were allocated for the sake of young Jon’s education in comparison to other lordlings. That, and the feeling of shame Lady Leslyn had for being wed to such a man, made sure to boil and fester within his mother as the years passed. During Jon’s early life, he was raised mainly at Atranta, not traveling and wandering as his parent had. It meant that he, and his twin brother Armistead were somewhat exposed to the state of the court of Atranta, and were affected by it. In the young Armistead, it brought out rashness and bravery. Jon, however, became bashful in comparison. It made sense then, that Armistead lived if he had something to prove to the others, while Jon drew away from others. This meant that Armistead drew closer to their eldest brother, Ser Quentyn Vance, while Jon remained close to Lady Leslyn and Armistead. As the twins grew along the years, a firm connection grew between them - for there was no one who could be as close as the two identical children. For a few years, they attempted to outperform each other, both in physical and mental activities. When they practiced with the wooden swords, Armistead proved to live up to his namesake - quickly growing powerful with every session of training, as the slightly younger Jon struggled to keep up. Eventually, as he realized it was not his natural aptitude, and gave up in favor of other activities - namely the ones that did not require a strong arm, but a strong mind. In 284 AC, when Jon was eleven years old, he was sent to the Vances of Wayfarer’s Rest. For six years Jon remained in the court of Wayfarer’s Rest, gaining a proper education for a change and becoming more of a Lord than he was supposed to. It was then when he became acquainted with his kin of Wayfarer’s Rest, and growing into a somewhat fine young adult. In the meantime, however, it seemed as if Atranta was growing more cursed by the year. Jon’s highly formative period did not last too long, for at the age of five and ten, Jon was hurried back by the influence of his mother, Lady Leslyn. By the time Jon and Armistead were seventeen, the court intrigue of Atranta seemed to heaten. It was then that it became apparent to Jon that the court was split into two factions: Those who were distrustful of Lord Robert’s lecherous activities, their financial repercussions and the effects it had on the population - and the others, who were the ones to profit from it. Interestingly, the first faction was represented by Lady Leslyn, and the heir Ser Quentyn Vance, who already had children of his own. Lady Leslyn was not Ser Quentyn’s mother, but his father’s second wife - it would mean that they had plenty of reasons to dislike each other - but they cooperated. Unsurprisingly, the other faction was represented by the firstborn bastard, Robert Whitewall (Rivers), and his mother, Alicent. Both Alicent and Lady Leslyn highly utilized the weapons of intrigue and diplomacy throughout the years, and proved to be proficient at that. Due to the death of a Septon who was one of Lady Leslyn’s confidants, their actions became slightly more aggressive. It was at such a dangerous time that Lady Leslyn desired to teach her children the purpose of discretion, friends, and what can be done with the two of them. By her reasoning, this lesson was becoming necessary. Armistead, the older twin, sought no such words from his mother - for the whispers and daggers were the weapons of women and cowards. Apparently, however, Jon was one - and he was taught well. Espionage When the winds of tensions rise, however, none serves to raise them even higher than war, and war it was. In 290 AA, it was when the War of the Trident raged, further increasing the friction between the two factions. Spies began to disappear on both sides, as the loud roar of war served to silence the cries of anguish in Atranta. Eventually, the war raged loud enough for the disappearance of a few key figures in House Vance of Atranta. Alicent, Robert Whitewall’s mother, was supposedly killed with her guards by a raid of outlanders, and shortly afterwards Ser Quentyn Vance was seemingly killed in the combat against men of either the Reach or the Vale. Death led to another death, hidden carefully under the thick blanket of war, gaining momentum as time went on. The one to take Ser Quentyn Vance’s place was Ser Armistead, swearing to take revenge against the bastards and ensure that Ser Quentyn Vance’s son, Edwyn, will inherit the lands. Two vows were made that day, and even though Ser Armistead Vance was a man of honor, he would break them both. Shortly after the war, Lord Robert fell sick, as his disease waxed and waned over the years; it seemed that the years of sinning finally caught up to him. Unfortunately, however, it was the time for another battle in the long war of court intrigue of Atlanta. Mere days before Lord Robert found his peace in one of the Seven Hells, his grandson Edwyn seemed to fall sick all of a sudden. If one would ask Armistead at the time - he would with no doubt blame the bastards. That faction, however, claimed innocence. When Edwyn drew his last breath, Ser Armistead, knowing he broke one of his vows, aimed to have the other one accomplished… an act which led to his death against bandits, alongside Lady Leslyn. At that moment, Armistead broke his second vow. Upon losing both his mother and his twin brother at the same time, Jon Vance was no longer the same. In the following months, not a single raven that spoke of the things that truly happened in Atranta, left Atranta. Not a rider, and no messenger. Officially, there was a sickness that plagued the land, forcing wanderers to stray away from this apparently unholy place. Using any leverage he had, the young Jon Vance swore that this time, he wouldn’t let a single one of the culprits remain alive. His spy ring became grand, showing the expertise in espionage Jon gained on the matter from being a part of the efforts of Atranta. Not many were innocent, and many in Antranta knew what happened in Atranta - but except for a eccentric rumors, mixed in with many falsehoods, barely any truth came out. In acts of sheer ruthlessness, a string of deaths from disease appeared, alongside the burnings and collapses of certain buildings alongside certain people. Most would claim that it was all a part of misfortune and a punishment from the Seven Above, and no one would say that it was possible that it was all a part of intended sabotage and murder. By the time the dust cleared, and word came out that the land was no long plagued by disease, Lord Jon Vance remained as one of the survivors, nearly immune to the plague in the form of Lord Robert’s bastards. For three years Jon made an active effort to wipe out the remnants of the bastards’ Faction, slowly gaining the strength that his House had long lost in Atranta, while making sure to strengthen his House. He married Lord Vance of Wayfarer’s daughter, Merianne Vance, to unite the two branches, and made effort to make friends from enemies. Unfortunately at the time, the Trident was slowly decaying - regardless of his efforts. As King Tristifer II Fletcher died, the Kingdom was left in ruin, and House Vance was left without any true influence. It is at that time, that the decisions of Lord Jon may steer House Vance. Hopefully, this time, unlike his father, he will lead it in the right direction. Timeline * 273 AA: Jon Vance is born, hours after his twin brother Armistead * 284 AA: Jon is sent to foster at Wayfarer’s Rest * 288 AA: Jon returns from Wayfarer’s Rest * 289 AA: As the tensions in the court of Atranta rise, Jon is taught about the words and whispers * 292 AA: Jon’s eldest brother, Quentyn, dies in the War of the Trident under suspicious circumstances, leaving Armistead at the head of the trueborn-representing faction in the court - pushing to have Quentyn’s son Edwyn inherit Atranta * 294 AA: Edwyn Vance dies of a sickness, mere days before Lord Robert, igniting the flames of intrigue war in Atranta * 294-295 AA: In the span of a few short months, many of Lord Robert’s children die of a rumored sickness, a few accidents with hunting and bandits, and the collapse of a brothel - before the silent war stabilizes and Jon remains to rebuild from the ruins of House Vance of Atranta * 297 AA: Jon marries Merianne of House Vance of Wayfarer’s Rest, strengthening the ties between the two branches of House Vance Family Tree http://www.familyecho.com/?p=START&c=i850pz961r&f=971622806922198956 Still a bit of a work in progress but it's generally set. Supporting Characters * Ser Tristifer Vance (Uncle) - Castellan * Marq Vance (Half-Nephew) - Navigator * Eleanor Vance (Cousin) - Executioner * Maester Andar (Maester) - Medic * Ser Beron (Sworn Sword) - Warrior(Axes) * Ser Perwyn (Sworn Sword) Category:House Vance Category:Riverlander